Whether it’s a Bigfoot sighting or an encounter with the chilling Wendigo of northern Minnesota, American mythology teems with strange creatures that feel both hauntingly real and wildly improbably.

Thunderbirds are great spirits said to control the weather, according Native American myth. And a few have been spotted in Pennsylvania.

It has a body of a horse and the wings and head of an eagle. The mythical creatures look dangerous, but they can actually be quite nice. Not everyone can tame a hippogriff. They are proud animals ...